Creating the MODES
MODES describe textural and structural concepts/principles.
MODES
- are dynamic and can be studied and developed continuously
- each MODE should be explored and internalized in terms of it's potentials and possibilities: sonic, structural mutability, variability etc. both collectively and individually
- can be treated, moulded and morphed in multiple ways
- can be combined, juxtaposed, layered etc in multiple ways
- are plastic/fluid: interweaving, bleeding, crystallizing, merging in multiple ways
- can be carried out collectively (tutti), in sub-groups or individually
- perception and interpretation of MODES are to be discussed in the ensemble
MODES can be used and organized as sculpting material for shorter or longer pieces.
There is no system or overall conceptual frame for the selected material. I wanted to leave it up to our collective work in the Sessions. Hoping and trusting that eventual patterns would appear during the process.
Searching for the initial material before Session 1 with Sub Habitat
In this project with outset in timbre and texture, I wanted to see if exploring through my own instrument - saxophone - could suggest suitable material and concepts for the ensemble and qualify as a MODE.
- through my instrument
investigating, selecting material sounds/textures/structures, characteristics of my own
vocabulary as an improviser. Verbalize & conceptualize
including
listening into practice: zooming in on single, isolated sounds/gestures
- without instrument & in general
imagining possible textures & structural principles in relation to Sub Habitat instrumentation/sound palette/musicians.
including material and ideas based on previous compositional/improvisational work and memory
These approaches and processes are of course closely intertwined: exploring and qualifying by playing, listening, extracting, imagining, reflecting, feeling, verbalizing, writing/drawing (not necessarily in that order).
It’s a process of extraction and distillation of the material.
Own instrument as composition tool
My exploratory approach corresponds basically to parts of my general instrument practice. I.e. exploration of sound material in order to develop my vocabulary/sound palette as an improviser. The sonic worlds I explore are primarily concentrated on timbral colours, textures, fluctuations and alternative/extended techniques such as various noise sounds, multiphonics, added objects (bow, mutes), among others.
Using the saxophone as the main physical sonic tool made sense - and also inspiring limitations - it is the instrument on which I have developed a vocabulary as a performer and improviser. However, there was also an element of necessity: I wanted to have some material ready before meeting the musicians at the first session.
My intention with the material extracted from my instrument is not for it to be used as a direct ‘translation’ of my saxophone sounds/textures to other instruments. Rather, the explorations are a way to stimulate my inner aural imagination in terms of possible material for the ensemble and for the conceptualization.
Moreover: through the direct bodily/sensory experience of producing sound - the bodily encounter with the material (i.e. the sound material, the sounds) - I experience how the sounds reveal qualities and phenomena that transcend and expand my conscious perception. For example, the experience of suddenly hearing sonic gestures or transformations with a particular quality of otherness in my own playing, as if the sounds come from an unknown place (or unknown other). It is phenomena that go far beyond what I can intellectually or mentally imagine and occur both in my own practice and during group improvisation. I wanted to integrate these experiences of physical play into the creation of MODES. It inspired my imagination and made the conceptualization feel much more grounded.
A particular approach was listening into practice.
listening into practice and listening mode (listening intention/intentionality)
This practice is about zooming in on a single, isolated sound, gesture or sound combination in order to explore the subtle qualities of the sound: morphology, fluctuations, mutability etc. I also listen to the silences in between. It’s repetitive, calm, follows the breathing.
I 'listen into' from a mentality (or intentionality) of observation, openness, curiosity, non-judgement. No major manipulations except slight adjustments. I explore subtle changes in timbral colour, oscillations, pulsing vibratos, friction. Attack, decay, energy and durations, dynamics, softly pushing the limits - seeing what happens if....
This repetitive, immersion practice further generates a mentality of awareness and openness that sharpens and deepens my listening. It also generates acceptance and a humbleness towards the sonic flux, which puts me beyond the urge to interfere (too much), control or analyze. The latter: analyzing or conceptualizing happens later.
The practice of zooming in on a single isolated sound (sonic object) or gesture touches on Pierre Schaeffer's concept of reduced listening in terms of examining and categorizing structures within a single sonic object (sonic entity ‘in itself’- detached from its cause, abstracted from a stylistic context). However, my aim here is not to categorize/typologize in a Schaefferean sense, but to listen into and explore while doing so. It’s ‘examining’ from an intuitive place. I am not only examining what the sounds consist of, but I also want to hear what they say and what they can do. Which qualities and possibilities do they suggest?
Related to this project, the listening into deepened my listening and opened up for the different qualities in silences, stimulated my imagination regarding subtle developments and movements inside a sound, texture or MODE.
Seen in retrospect, these experiences have had a great impact on this project, in many ways and on many levels.
In addition to the work with the instrument, some MODE principles and concepts emerged from previous work and memory. From previous work, for example, some of the more structural based MODES (FRAGMENTED and ATTACK CLOUD, LAYERED PULSE, MACHINES among others - see MODES development). Some were already concepts; some became a MODE through conceptualizing material/ideas from previous conventional notated scores - although reconsidered in relation to Sub Habitat and the glimpses and fragments being the background for the project.
On verbalizing - conceptualizing MODES
The MODES are open - i.e. have many entry points for perception and interpretation. There must be room for individual/collective exploration and interpretation. I do not intend to impose a particular (sonic) image on the musicians, but I do want to convey some of my underlying imaginings and perceptions. This must be reflected in the description/instructions/suggestions.
Language/terminology: classical music vocabulary, mixed with slightly different concepts and words when necessary.
This led me to the following considerations in relation to language and formulation:
- Sparse but precise/clear information. The rest discussed/worked out at the sessions
- Preferably short and without too much detailing
- ‘Atmospheric’ without being intrusive or too descriptive (a sound quality is sometimes suggested)
- Avoid too many metaphors. I use some sonic metaphors in e.g. MODE titles
- Avoid instructions concerning how or on what the sounds should be produced (a concrete instrumental sonic phenomenon is mentioned a few times, to exemplify)
- Adjectives: sparse
There is a paradox in having timbre, tactility, sound as focal points, but not describing the quality of the sounds and/or how they should be produced. The somewhat dry, neutral and very reduced terminology and communication of the principles of MODES leads on the one hand to more freedom for the musicians (which is my intention). On the other hand, the formulations are based on my perceptions, sensations and imagined sound images (which are not conveyed in the score).
Throughout the process of creating, listening, elaborating MODE text, as well as later on at ensemble sessions/concerts, I take personal reflection notes on the material: qualities, timbral identity, sensory experiences, sound images and so on. Although putting all this into words in a more personal language is still only a reduced approximation, it helps to stimulate my thinking and imagination. This includes imagining how MODES can be organized and combined, the musical context including possible transitions in longer forms etc. Moreover, these notes are useful in the ensemble situation. For example, to explain and exemplify a MODE and the possibilities within the MODE. But from the outset, it is the sounds and sonic gestures that may suggest a quality, which can be verbalized and conceptualized - not the other way around.
LIBRARY
- I see it as a fluent collection of (more or less raw) material and structural concepts reflecting some of my artistic/aesthetic preferences
- the library is not meant to be a ‘catalogue’ and is not intended to be used as an ‘exhibition’ or display of various sounds and textures or ways of playing. It’s not a system either.
- it’s not normative. How to perceive and treat the Modes and elements should be negotiated in the ensemble
- the library can function as an inspirational pond for imagination, playing, thinking and reflection
- the MODES and elements in the library can be used to make scores
- the library is dynamic. It may develop and transform endlessly as well as be combined and extended with other musical notation (and communication) forms
About - Sub Habitat - Modes --- Sessions - Listening - Context and Afterthoughts
| |
notebook on listening into practice
listening into the sounds and the silences, the micro textures, their subtle transformations and movements. again and again. Breath, observe, reflect (in action), it's not over emotional - just sensing.
No big manipulations except small adjustments. The sound suggests the following sound. Maybe the same with a nearly inaudible change. Oscillations, flickering, soft pulsations (or hard/fast), porous surfaces, sudden harmonics. Sometimes volatile, arbitrary. Don’t get in the way. Know when to intervene.
there is an intention in the sound (I make the sound = my intention and listen to it = my perception)? The sounds have their own autonomy. Does the space have autonomy? Listening to the silences and the energy in the silences, The border between sound and silence. Listening into, but also listening outward and from the outside in (the third ear).
Let the sound speak out- and also the silence, it can take over, let it suggest where it wants to go, it is not me, it is me and something else. I meet it-it meets me. I am inside and outside at the same time.
